diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 415c944c..f2e715f1 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-Noteworthy changes in version 1.23.3 (unrelease)
+Noteworthy changes in version 1.24.0 (unrelease)
 -------------------------------------------------
 
  * Extended gpgme_op_decrypt* and gpgme_op_verify* to allow writing the
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 92cfacf2..9fa32255 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ min_automake_version="1.14"
 # for the LT versions.
 m4_define([mym4_package],[gpgme])
 m4_define([mym4_major], [1])
-m4_define([mym4_minor], [23])
-m4_define([mym4_micro], [3])
+m4_define([mym4_minor], [24])
+m4_define([mym4_micro], [0])
 
 # Below is m4 magic to extract and compute the git revision number,
 # the decimalized short revision number, a beta version string and a
diff --git a/src/engine.c b/src/engine.c
index 69f1c150..252d8805 100644
--- a/src/engine.c
+++ b/src/engine.c
@@ -449,9 +449,16 @@ _gpgme_set_engine_info (gpgme_engine_info_t info, gpgme_protocol_t proto,
         new_home_dir = NULL;
     }
 
-  new_version = engine_get_version (proto, new_file_name);
+  if (info && info->version
+      && ((!info->file_name && !new_file_name)
+          || (info->file_name && new_file_name
+              && !strcmp (info->file_name, new_file_name))))
+    new_version = strdup (info->version);
+  else
+    new_version = engine_get_version (proto, new_file_name);
   if (!new_version)
     {
+      /* Note that we also get here on a ENOMEM in strdup.  */
       new_version = strdup ("1.0.0"); /* Fake one for dummy entries.  */
       if (!new_version)
         {